To Canadian Minister Nicholson and MP Cullen, April 2008 -- PokerPulse trackers were delighted to read a recent account in the corporate media of 'discussions' you're having in Ottawa regarding the possibility of regulating an online gambling industry here in Canada - one that might be open even to taxpaying Canadians with no history of weapons, armed stand-offs or cross-border smuggling. We were wondering, will Quebec Mohawks and one or two or the eastern racetracks continue to set unwritten Canadian gambling rules, or might 'interested others' like us be included among the 'stakeholders' in those discussions?
To WSJ EU Ediition, April 2008 -- We've been tracking for some time now developments in the slow-burn trade dispute between Antigua and the U.S. over America's remote gambling ban, which many in the industry now refer to and not affectionately as Prohibition 2.0. Many of us are still catching our breath after the wildly disappointing result obtained in the arbitrator's report at Christmas when panelists slashed Antigua's claim of $3.4 billion - a figure arrived at by a legion of actuaries - to a paltry $21 million using a bizarre, utterly unprecedented legal approach we call the Four-Flusher Fantasy. (more...)
To Variety, March 2008 -- It's a good day when an international trade law story such as yours makes it to Variety... What I hope most fervently is for the sinfully lucrative American film industry to be sufficiently outraged by the harm the U.S. position has caused Antigua and indeed the world that industry leaders will grow some guts and start lobbying the U.S. Trade Representative aggressively to stop restricting trade in gambling. (more...)
Comments on EU Action Against U.S., March 2008 -- Having recently negotiated the GATS-slash compensation over the U.S. decision to effectively assert its sovereign right to continue protectionism in the gambling sector, the EC may now devote itself fully to pursuing a GATS-breach challenge similar to Antigua's. ... It [the EU] may uncover the U.S. agenda behind such selective prosecution of the industry. Many of us would like to know why, for example, private companies such as PokerStars and FulltiltPoker whose ownership is not clearly identified, are allowed to continue accepting U.S. bets without penalty, which in turn allows them to claim the monster share of world market; (more...)
Kahnawake Gaming Op Ed Piece -- In the wake of residential school settlements that have literally taken out organized religion in Canada, there may be understandably little sympathy for First Nations claiming a special and exclusive right to such a lucrative business. But if they do the homework to show their business is both eco-friendly and an important traditional feature of a unique culture, Mohawks may be able to persuade the feds to open up Internet gambling in Canada once and for all. (more...)
WTO Deal A U.S. National Security Threat?? Feb. 6/08 - A Gentle Reprisal -- One cannot help admiring the manly oomph and general righteousness prompting Ed Brayton the Bold to file Freedom of Information applications in an effort to learn the exciting details of WTO GATS-slash settlements. (more...)
Letter to Editor at the Antigua Sun (Feb01, 2008) -- Christmas must have been less than celebratory after what PokerPulse refers to as the Four-Flusher Fantasy, the bizarre, unprecedented strategy the WTO arbitration panel used to come up with the figure of $21 million as the measure of loss your island has suffered as a result of, shall we say selective, US gambling prohibitions. (more...)
Highlights of the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services Decision by the Arbitrator (Dec 21, 2007) -- The sorrow and the pity, the Lone Ranger, the Look-out, a call for applause, a call to account and the Final Four-flusher Fantasy. (more...)
Antigua gets $21 million ANNUALLY in IP concessions from the U.S. -- HO-HO-HO-hum. (more...)
CBC Early Edition source claims online gambling is an industry operated solely by organized criminals! -- Read the PokerPulse letter to CBC management here. (more...)
Japan's Position -- Is Japan pleased with its GATS-slash settlement? (more...)
What is the Canadian Postion -- How pleased is Canada with its GATS-slash settlement? (more...)
Free David Carruthers -- On Sunday July 16, 2006, David Carruthers, a British citizen, was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, USA by US Federal agents while changing planes. He was travelling with his wife Carol (who was also detained but subsequently released) from the UK to his home in Costa Rica where they have resided since 2000. So, what is his crime? Is he a murderer, a dangerous terrorist, or even a white collar criminal responsible for embezzling millions of dollars? No, his ‘crime’ is to be a vocal advocate of online gambling regulation in the United States.(more...)
Call for Canada to Support Antigua at the WTO -- SAY YES to a fully open, fully legal, regulated U.S. I-gambling market. SAY NO to narrow-minded, un-American U.S. protectionism. Canada should grow some guts and support Antigua in the Cross-Border Betting Dispute with the U.S. (more...)
